Daddy's Little Girl
by pretty in green
Summary: He hurt her, and he knew this. But he didn't think she realized just how much he really did love her. One-shot. Toph X Lao


**Title:** Daddy's Little Girl

**Rating: **K+

**Words: **5,906

**Summary:** He hurt her, and he knew this. But he didn't think she realized just how much he really did love her. Toph X Lao.

**A/N: **I got a bit of inspiration. It seems a little rushed in my opinion and I'm not totally happy with it, but I'd figure I'd take the plunge and see what kind od reaction I get. Worse comes to worse, I'll just repost it if I feel the need.

I know that some of the things in this story go against what is canon (you'll know what I mean when you start reading) but I thought I'd do something a little different. So it is an AU of sorts, but not extremely so. I just wanted to do a little story about Lao and his thoughts about his daughter. A lot of people I know see him as the enemy, but I really think he has a heart.

So without further ado, here we go! And remember, don't forget to review (I'm serious).

**Disclaimer: **A:TLA doesn't belong to me. And neither does it's characters. They belong to Mike and Bryan. But honestly...I don't understand why we can't share...

**EDIT:** Grammar has been fixed.

* * *

The moment that he had walked into her empty room, Lao Bei Fong knew that he had forever lost his daughter.

It wasn't intentional. Despite the colorful array of insults and powerful glares that she had always seemed to direct towards him, he never meant to cause her to feel so much hatred. All he ever wanted to do-all he ever _obsessed_ over-was keeping his one little girl safe.

It might have seemed to the servants and to the working hands that he only really acknowledged the girl because she was necessary to continue the Bei Fong family line. Some even thought that the attention he did give her was forced, and that in reality he could care less. But those were all rumors. And of course, rumors are almost always completely false.

He sighed as he held the wooden door open, staring at the bleak, dimly lit room that was once filled with the only ray of light he had in his life. Lao walked in slowly, taking in the sight of the dresser drawers that were pulled out all the way, the closet flung wide open, and the open window in front of him. He stepped carefully into the room, almost as if he expected his daughter to be running up behind him with an enraged face, demanding to know what her father was doing snooping around his young daughter's room. It was a ridiculous thought, he realized.

He had a strange feeling in his soul that his only daughter would not be returning.

Lao slowly seated himself on the windowsill, feeling the strong breeze flowing in through the window on his back and blowing the curtains around him. He silently thanked the veil that seemed to surround him at that moment. He was completely invisible to any who walked inside. It was exactly what he needed.

Lao was very young. Being of nobility, he was forced into the notorious life of a noble at the ripe old age of seventeen. He learned at a very young age how exactly to get his way around people that were smaller than he. He was feared, yet respected. He was insulted, and he was praised. People envied him, yet they also admired him. He was a noble. He was a Bei Fong. That was how it had been for the past thirteen years and that was how it would always be. He never showed a sign of weakness. It simply wasn't his character and it certainly didn't exhibit the proper expectations you'd expect from the head of a noble clan.

But now, there was no one to judge, no one to tease, no one to record their findings and no one to criticize.

Lao Bei Fong pulled his knees up to his chest and let a few stray tears fall down his cheeks.

There was no one there to watch, so he didn't care. All he could think about was his daughter. His little baby girl. The only one in his life that really mattered to him.

* * *

It wasn't a day that he forgot easily. In fact, it had forever been engraved and preserved along the insides of his mind. What made it even worse was the quality of the memory didn't fade at all. It was still just as clear and just as vibrant as the day that it he had witnessed it first-hand.

Gaoling had a fireworks festival every year. It was to commemorate the famous Earth Kingdom general, Gaoling, for his victory over the rebel Earth Kingdom colonies that had attacked him on the very hill that the city was built on. In the center of the town was a golden statue and plaque that reminded all of the residents of the reason for this celebration every year. Considering that most of the workers in Gaoling were either mining for the emerald jewels that the town was known for or selling the expensive velvet that was manufactured there as well, many of the citizens embraced the vacation and dedicated the day to having fun and enjoying the excitement that lit up the entirety of the city.

He remembered standing near the edge of the tall hill that the city was built on top of, staring down at the dark valley towards the men setting up the vast array of fireworks down below. Lao was holding his wife by the waist, keeping her close to his side while she gently laid her head on his shoulder. They both averted their eyes from the men dealing with the fireworks and stared ahead at the night sky that was slowly being dotted with a colony of stars. Even though their marriage had been arranged, as was normal in most noble families, he found that he slowly began to love her in a way that he never thought imaginable. He had looked down at her face and saw her smiling at the sky in front of her. She had gripped her husband's arm tighter as she tried to steal more warmth from him.

That was the last time he had ever really seen her smile.

It was at that moment, Lao remembered, that his daughter had come running towards them with a small, green sparkler in her hands. He turned and saw his four-year-old daughter run into his arms and hug him tightly around the neck. Lao smiled at the memory. Toph really was the most beautiful little girl he had laid his eyes on. He pulled her away from him and held her at arm's length, examining her closely and smiling to himself.

She was wearing the brand new green, white, and gold dress that the tailors in their house had just brought over for her not even a few days before. She had a white and green headband pulling her bangs out of her eyes and she adorned a small golden clip with a flying boar on it that held her hair up in a small bun. Her pale skin was shining in the light that was cast by the hundreds of sparklers firecrackers that were going off around her. What was even more extraordinary were her eyes.

Inherited from her mother, Toph blinked her shimmering, bright green eyes. He was almost positive that they glowed in the dark whenever he stared into them. His family had always commented that her eyes were going to be the one asset that Toph was sure to be flaunting when she became of marrying age. He took pride in the compliment and he was able to see first-hand exactly what his family was saying.

His daughter was stunning.

Toph giggled and tilted her head to the side. "Watcha lookin' at, Daddy?" she asked with a grin.

Lao had lifted their daughter into the air and spun her around, listening to her squealing laughter and laughing along with her. As soon as he got too dizzy to continue, he placed Toph on his shoulders so that she was resting her chin on the top of his head.

"I was just saying to myself what an absolutely adorable little girl I have," he smiled up at her.

Toph laughed and started playing with the tufts of hair on her father's head. "Haha, I think you're adorable too!" she grinned with all of her sparkling teeth showing. Her mother heard this and laughed at her little girl's comment. She stood on the tips of her toes to give Toph a small peck on the cheek.

Yes, there was a time long ago where his family was happy, where times were wonderful, and where his daughter could see everything around her. She was able to look at him, her mother, the fireworks that began later that night, the sparkler that was sputtering sparks out in her hands, the night sky that she found to be so beautiful, and the happiness that dripped from people's faces when they saw such a vibrant ball of energy pass by them. He remembered the day that she was born and he held her in his arms for the first time. Looking down at the delicate little person swaddled in pale green blankets, he had swore to himself that he would protect her forever and that nothing would get in the way of him and his daughter. And that was exactly how it had been. They were a happy little family unit and he kept Toph safe whenever he could.

Or, at least he had tried.

To this day, Lao still wasn't sure exactly what had happened that night. The events leading up to the accident were unclear to him and he wasn't exactly sure what was going on when his back had been turned. He always hated himself for it. If he had the ability and the nerve to go back to that festival, he would've gone with his daughter to the crystal candy stand so that she could get a treat. He definitely would've stood next to her and ran towards the stand instead of telling her that she could go by herself. He would've walked those ten feet with her. And he was absolutely positive that he would've done _something_ to stop the stray fireworks that had made their way towards her.

As soon as he heard his daughter's loud, shrill scream, Lao knew that he had failed her. Nothing had ever happened to Toph that would've caused her to scream like that. Of course, she had screamed when she saw a spider crawling along the window panes in her room. She had definitely screamed when she had fallen down in the gardens and scraped her knee. She had also screamed when the little boy two houses down from theirs jumped out from behind a tree to scare her. But his scream was different. It was a pained, blood-curdling scream.

It sounded as if she was in severe pain.

Lao quickly turned and dragged his wife along behind him, pushing through the crowd of people that were blocking Lao's way to the crystal candy stand. He remembered shoving, yelling, and shouting at anyone and everyone that had gotten in his way. They simply didn't understand. He had made a promise to his daughter. He wasn't about to go and break that. He would help her and keep her safe if it was the last thing he did.

Lao and his wife had finally pushed through the last layer of people. Kneeling on the floor was the owner of the crystal candy stand along with the local doctor of Gaoling that just so happened to be close by. They were both crouching over something that Lao couldn't see. But it was when he saw Toph's golden shoes poking out from the space in between the two men that he pushed his way in front of him to see his daughter. He demanded to know what had happened to her. He was sure that it was Toph on the ground and he began spewing a lot of profane words towards the two men, most of which he really didn't remember. He remembered the doctor had warned him not to look and assured him that his daughter was going to be all right. But of course, still being the rash young man that was back then, he pushed the doctor out of the way regardless, making room for him and his wife to get a glimpse of their precious daughter.

His wife had fallen to the floor in horror. Lao couldn't rip his eyes away.

The blood. It was all over her face. Some of it was dripping onto her dress, forever staining it with bad memories. Her whimpering and sobbing broke his heart and he finally noticed for the first time where all of the blood was coming from. Her eyes were bleeding. Toph was trying her hardest to keep them shut but the doctor kept pulling them open, trying to see if there was any damage that he could fix. Lao had tried to run forward to rip the doctor away from his daughter's side, but a few men behind him, all of which he did not know, held him back, telling him to let the doctor do his job. All the while he kept hearing Toph's quiet voice.

"Daddy…I can't see too good. What's going on? Daddy, where are you?"

All of the events that followed were a blur to him. He remembered the doctor picking Toph up to carry her back to his infirmary to try and see if there was still time to help her, but Lao was still being held back even though he was lashing out harshly, kicking his legs and arms to try and break free. As soon as Toph was out of sight, the memory faded. He couldn't envision more than that. But he was absolutely positive that he was calling out his daughter's name while civilians were holding him back and while his wife was heart broken, crying on the floor.

* * *

There was nothing that the doctors could do.

Her eyes were far too damaged to even begin to try and repair. All they could do was bring in the best healers from the Water Tribes and heal her eyes to stop the bleeding. But the internal damage that was caused even deeper in her eyes was something that not even the most skilled herbalists or healers could do anything about. They all tried. They really did. Most had a very generous drive and motivation once they saw how much Lao was willing to pay them. But the situation was as grim as it was final.

Toph would forever be blind.

At first, it had been difficult to explain to her. She remembered very little from the accident, but the fact that she could no longer see confused her and she had constantly asked her parents why. It broke Lao's heart to have to tell her that her life would forever be like this and that she would never be able to see the world around her again. But, he could never lie to her. And even if he could, what would he say? There was absolutely no way to lighten the situation. He couldn't tell her that she was still just like everyone else because she wasn't. He couldn't tell her that her eyes would eventually get a lot better, because they wouldn't. Her bright green eyes were no more. They were covered with a cloudy film, making her eyes seem a pale green, indicating her blindness. So the conversations with her concerning her blindness were awkward and confusing.

Lao's wife had a very hard time remaining optimistic. Whenever Lao had looked over at his wife from across the room, he'd catch her with a deep frown on her face, looking painfully towards her daughter who was playing with all of the little toys she couldn't see. She sighed every once in a while and then looked away. She did that all day throughout the weeks, months, and years that Toph still remained blind. By the time the girl had turned ten, it was clear that her vision would not be returning to her.

* * *

Toph slowly forgot what colors looked like. She forgot the faces of her mother and father; she forgot what the sun looked like, what the trees looked like, what her house looked like, and even what she looked like. There were no memories in her subconscious available to her that gave her an idea about what the world around her looked like. All of her memories involved sound, taste, hearing, and feeling. No images of the outside plagued her mind anymore. They were long forgotten.

Lao had slowly realized over the years that his daughter was even more vulnerable to danger than she had ever been before. He was scared for her…scared that something terrible and life threatening would happen to his daughter. Sure, this time she lived. She was permanently blinded, but she lived. But what happened if she wasn't so lucky next time? What happens if her life was lost? Lao refused to even think past that scenario. She _wasn't_ going to die. She _wasn't_ going to get hurt again. He'd make sure of it.

The first thing that Lao had enforced was that Toph was no longer allowed to leave the Bei Fong estate. She was to stay indoors at all times and venturing out past the gates was strictly prohibited. Because of this forcible isolation, Toph was slowly forgotten among the rest of the people. Those new to Gaoling knew nothing of her existence. Everyone else had simply forgotten that such a bright and vibrant girl existed, or they didn't bother to mention her at all. After all, she was locked up inside her house for years. People slowly stopped acknowledging her. All conversations regarding her ceased to exist, her friends were forced to forget her, letters weren't sent, and visits were non-existent. If anyone was brave enough to come in contact with the girl and try to get her to visit somewhere outside their house, they were shunned from the estate and promptly asked to leave. Pretty soon, Toph Bei Fong became a memory for the rest of Gaoling. A ghost, a past mistake…something that was never there.

Guards, servants, and maids followed her wherever she went. In the garden, to her bedroom, to the music room, to the dining room, and wherever else she decided to venture. He didn't want her to burn her tongue, so Toph's hot soup was blown on before she was allowed to eat it. Maids were posted outside the washroom should she accidentally drown in the tub. She wasn't allowed to run for fear that she would fall and hurt herself, she couldn't leave the windows opened to wide or else she might fall out…so many limitations…so many rules…and they were all there to protect her.

But she didn't seem to see this.

Perhaps it was the fact that she really didn't have any friends. The guards, servants, and maids hardly counted. A little girl her age deserved someone her own age to talk and play with. The dirty jokes and raunchy conversations that the adults around Toph had were far beyond her comprehension of understanding, and therefore she had no choice but to ignore their ramblings whenever they were near her. Her parents were also not the type of friends and companions that she needed either. She was absolutely alone. Lao saw that now…too bad it was far too late to do anything about it.

By the time Toph was eight, she had turned rather bitter towards all of those around her. She waved away the cooks, insisting that she could blow on her soup by herself. She locked the door to the washroom so that she could have a bit of privacy. She hid under the shrubs in the gardens so that she could hide from the guards who were starting to get just a little bit too clingy. She tried everything to avoid all of the protection, the limitations, and the rules. She spent as much time outside as she could. She was constantly laid out on the ground, staring into nothing, and drumming her fingers against the earth. Lao had never understood how it was that Toph had gotten around so easily and why she enjoyed being outside so much. It seemed as though the sounds of nature calmed her in a way that Lao never could.

He knew that she was an Earth Bender at this age. Master Yu, a close friend of his, had seen the glow and energy that dripped form her soul that reeked of an Earth Bender. That was when Lao had started her Earth Bending training. Of course, she was only to learn the simplest of the techniques. She was permanently left at a beginner level. There was no need to put her in any unnecessary danger due to her blindness. He didn't realize that by this time, she was already a rather accomplished Earth Bender. Not quite a master, but she was definitely on her way.

Her sharp tongue had developed as well. She wasn't disrespectful or rude, but she had a sort of witty and cunning nature that had not always been there. There had been a time when Lao had suggested that Toph come inside after she had been lying in the garden for hours. It was nightfall and the fireflies had already started to come out, dancing around her face in a pattern she couldn't see. He had told her that it was better if she would come inside.

She curtly responded, "Being inside for such a long time makes people ignorant to what's outside. I'd rather educate myself on the world around me out here than stare at the four walls in my room." She turned her sightless eyes towards her father. "Don't you agree?"

Lao had no argument. Even at the age of ten, her vocabulary and her way of speaking was well beyond her years. A copious amount of tutoring had made sure of that. But it seemed that she had a response for everything now. She wasn't taking the excessive protectiveness well, but she also wasn't lashing out in the way you'd expect. She didn't scream, yell, punch, kick, or complain. She dealt with it all in subtle ways that she invented on her own.

Overall, the bright little girl that had existed all those years ago had disappeared. In its place was a matured young girl that understood the horrors of the world and had fully accepted them. Her innocence was gone. She wasn't a fan of being adorable, of being cute, or of loving her parents. She isolated herself, and tried to make the best of her situation. Obviously, it didn't involve her parents at all.

This is what hurt Lao the most.

* * *

It wasn't until Toph had finally turned twelve that he had also in a sense lost his wife.

It wasn't as if she had emotionally broken herself off emotionally like Toph had. But she definitely changed as well. The normally optimistic woman that cracked jokes and hugged her husband until his horrible day was a little bit better was gone. It seemed as if the shock of the accident had made his wife realize that happiness wasn't the only thing that existed in life. There was pain, disappointment, and sadness. Lady Bei Fong no longer laughed like she used to. If she did laugh, it was forced and it was only for the guests that they had over. She was affectionate with her husband, but only around company. And again, it was terribly forced. The light and vibrant woman that he had married didn't seem to exist and it didn't seem as if their marriage or their relationship had as much life as it used to. Lao used to go to his wife for advice, guidance, comfort, and maybe just for some much needed company. But it seemed as if his wife wasn't in the mood for any of that. She lost her spunk. She worried about her daughter more often than not. She wondered what could have happened to cause such disastrous results to their seemingly perfect life. And due to the realization that had hit her a lot harder than intended, Lao's wife became a completely different person.

That's when Lao had tried to find comfort in his daughter one day. Knowing that his wife wouldn't be able to fill the gap that had formed in his heart, he hoped that his daughter could give him back a sense of family…something that he had long forgotten about. It had been eight years since Toph was blinded, eight years since they had interacted, and eight years of missing his daughter.

He walked into her room on a Sunday afternoon and found her sitting on the edge of her bed, her knees tucked up to her chin as she stared out of her open window. He was able to see her cloudy eyes shimmer with tears as he walked closer to her. Her lips were trembling, her fists were clenched, and it seemed as if she was trying her very hardest to not let the wetness behind her eyes spill over the lids. Toph shut her eyes as she fought back all of the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks.

"What do you want?" she asked quietly. Her voice was laced with a pained tone. It was hoarse and sounded as if it took a great deal of strength to even get a few words out.

It was obvious that she was crying even before he had entered.

Lao swallowed the lump that had formed at the back of his throat and spoke carefully. "I just thought that you could use some company. You've been looking very lonely lately."

The heated glare that was directed towards Lao had caused him to step back a few steps. It had amazed him that she was able to meet his eyes directly. "Just lonely? Is that all you can see? I'm surprised you haven't picked up on anything yet."

Lao widened his eyes at his daughter's harsh words, unable to say anything. Seeing that his father was too stunned for words, Toph continued.

"I'm not just lonely. I'm confused. I'm angry…I'm disappointed. I'm so many things…so many things that you can't seem to understand. I've been feeling this way for years. And all of this time…all you can say to me is that you think I'm lonely?" Toph let out a sarcastic laugh. "I'm up in my room or out in the garden during all hours of the day. Anyone can see that I lack company. It hardly takes any special deductive reasoning to figure that out." Toph turned her face away from her father and continued to stare out the window.

Lao looked down guiltily as he walked closer to his daughter's bedside. He saw her visibly shift farther away from him, but he continued to try and make his point. He would have his daughter back.

"I realize that I haven't exactly been fair to you…but I just thought that you should know my intentions were pure."

Toph snorted. "What's so pure about all of this? I just find it highly unnecessary."

Lao slowly sat down on the edge of her bed, staring at his folded hands in his lap. "I don't forget that day…that day of the Gaoling festival eight years ago."

Toph's fists tightened even further. She shut her eyes and bit her lip hard as Lao continued.

"That was the scariest moment of my life: the fear that I was going to lose you."

Toph said nothing as Lao continued, lost in his memories.

"Your mother and I…well…we've been growing distant. But, I suppose that's to be expected of married couples. We still love each other very much, but relating to each other has become a lot more difficult." Lao's eyes took on a far-away look. He was swimming in his thoughts, exploring his feelings, and spilling them out on his lap for his daughter to absorb.

"The only thing that gives me any happiness anymore…is knowing that you're only a few doors away."

He had never voiced that to his daughter before. Sure, he had constantly told her that he loved her. But to say that she was his only form of happiness…well, he wasn't exactly sure when that had happened. Maybe it was because his life centered on protecting her so much. Maybe it was because Toph was really the only thing in this house that had any sort of life. Maybe it was because, being a father, he wanted to be close to his little girl. He wasn't sure. But there was a desire…a _need_…to be near Toph.

And he had done a great job of messing that up so far.

Toph turned her head towards her father and spoke in a low whisper. "If I was so important to you, why haven't you taken time to ask me how _I_ felt about all of these changes? How it affected _me_? Are you even sure this is what I want?"

Lao's chest scrunched up in pain, but he remained stoic and strong as he listened to his daughter.

"I don't want to talk anymore. It's exhausting trying to explain to you. I guess I'm going to just have to accept that you and mom will never understand." And that was the last thing she said to him that night.

Lao waited on her bedside for ten more minutes, hoping that she would say something else to him, or at least turn his way. But she stayed in that same position, looking out of the window while sitting on her bed, completely ignoring her father who was sitting only a foot away from her. He sighed, quickly realizing that this conversation had gotten him nowhere. Lao stood up and smoothed out his expensive robes. He walked through the empty room and took note of the changes that had occurred.

The drawings she had made as a little girl were taken down, her story books were removed, the flute that she used to play as a young girl lay dusty and forgotten in the corner of the room. Lao's heart wrapped around itself even tighter, making for a very uncomfortable sensation deep within his being. He sighed as he slowly crept out of the depressing display of a twelve year-old girl's room. A blind twelve year old girl. A confused, angry, and lonely twelve year old girl.

"I love you, Toph."

When Lao received no answer, he also realized he had a twelve year-old daughter that had lost all respect for her father.

* * *

Lao hugged his knees tighter as the wind continued to blow the curtains around him.

Secretly running away, the Earth Rumble tournaments, her fight with all of those professional Earth Benders, her friendship with the Avatar…it was the most that his daughter had felt alive in years. The fact that he had isolated her, babied her, and treated her as if she was some weak and tiny little thing; he caused her daughter to feel as if she had no significant strength in her father's eyes. That of course was never true, but he had made no attempt to prove that notion wrong.

Lao held his head in between his hands. It didn't make any sense. What had happened to their little family? What had gone wrong? Why had things gone so astray? Why did he have to lose his daughter?

There was a time where they were happy.

_Lao had lifted their daughter into the air and spun her around, listening to her squealing laughter and laughing along with her._

There was a time when he and his wife were content with each other.

_Lao was holding his wife by the waist, keeping her close to his side while she gently laid her head on his shoulder._

_Even though, their marriage had been arranged, as was normal in most noble families, he found that he slowly began to love her in a way that he never thought imaginable._

There was a time when his daughter had loved to be around him.

"_Watcha lookin' at, Daddy?"_

"_I was just saying to myself what an absolutely adorable little girl I have."_

"_Haha, I think you're adorable too!"_

But that was all gone, and he wasn't even sure how.

Lao had looked out of the window. He had paid so much money to those men to find his daughter. He had assumed that the Avatar had kidnapped his daughter. But…maybe…this was the best thing for her.

Lao sighed. Living here in this hell that he created, it wasn't what an ambitious and colorful young girl like Toph needed. She needed fresh air, she needed a drive, she needed friends, and she needed a purpose. Earth Bending gave her a way to express herself in a way that Lao had not allowed her. The Avatar was her first and only friend, and he gave her the freedom she had craved and the opportunity she had always dreamed about. When he saw her fighting in that ring, he was shocked, repulsed, and speechless. But there was something in her face that told him that this is what Toph loved doing. Like she had told him: she loved fighting and she loved being an Earth Bender.

It was the first time in a long time he had seen his daughter smile.

There was a stray thought that was plaguing his mind for the longest time. Who was he to take away his daughter's happiness? Yes, he wanted to keep her safe, but he also wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to smile, and he wanted her to live.

He felt so responsible for her blindness, that he felt it was his duty to make sure that nothing of the sort happened again. But he didn't realize that he had destroyed what little freedom and joy she had in her life in the process. The guilt pressed up against him so hard that he didn't understand how he had lived with himself up until now.

He supposed that perhaps he was being unfair to her…no…he _absolutely was_ unfair to her. He tried to fix her life in the way that he wanted and he had no consideration for what she wanted…what her desires were…what made her happy. Maybe the fact that Toph had run away was good for her. After all, she had finally gained the freedom that she craved so much. He finally understood what his daughter needed…and she was finally able to take a hold of it.

Who was he to ruin that for her? His daughter's happiness had been assured. She would finally have the opportunity to live her life…without him.

Lao accepted this. And even though it hurt to let his daughter go, he knew that her happiness was more important than his. After all, she was his baby girl. And he had to keep her happy, no matter what.

He wasn't sure if she would return. He wasn't sure if she'd write, if she'd communicate with them, or if she'd even bother to remember him. Maybe she still hated him for not being there when she was blinded. Maybe she despised his over protectiveness. He would never know. Because his daughter was gone and was living the life she should have been living for the past eight years.

Lao let his head rest on his knees. This was okay. He was content. His daughter was where she was supposed to be. And he was sure that she was happy. And he would do anything to ensure that his daughter let her soul fly to heights she never thought imaginable.

Even if she was no longer with him.

* * *

_"They say that from the instant he lays eyes on her, a father adores his daughter. Whoever she grows up to be, she is always to him that little girl in pigtails. She makes him feel like Christmas."_

* * *

**Thanks for reading. And please, please review :-)**


End file.
